Vietnam War Song by Country Joe McDonald Rewritten for Afghanistan

Lyrics of classic Vietnam protest song are modified to fit today's current picture in Afghanistan.

(SALEM, Ore.) - President Barack Obama specifically said in tonight's speech about raising the stakes in Afghanistan, that there is not a parallel to the Vietnam War that officially lasted from November 1964 to April 1975.

30,000 more Americans will now travel to this faraway Asian country to fight a group of people who have never been defeated on their own soil. Still, Obama says it is the right thing to do and he wholly blames the acts of terror against the United States on terrorists who had connections to Afghanistan.

Special thanks to Bruce Arnold for this rewrite of "Feel Like I'm Fixing to Die".

Yo, wake up texters, listen in,
Uncle Sam's after more boogeymen;
Dubya left Barack in a terrible jam
Way over in Afghanistan.
So put down your iPhone and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for?
Not freedom or our fellow man,
Next stop's Afghanistan;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no need to wonder why,
For peak oil, we're all gonna die.

Well come on, McChrystal, let's move fast;
Your big chance has come at last.
Gotta kill all those towel heads —
Though Muslims ain't who we should dread.
Our robber barons, they're the ones
Who blew the Towers to kingdom come.

Well, come on Wall Street, don't move slow,
Since 9-1-1, it's go-go-go.
There's plenty good money to be made
Supplying both sides with the tools of the trade.
Just hope if they grab a Pakistani bomb,
They drop it on Dick Cheney's lawn.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for?
Not freedom or our fellow man,
Next stop's Afghanistan.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no need to wonder why,
For peak oil, we're all gonna die.

Well, come on mothers throughout the land,
Send your child to Afghanistan.
Come on fathers, don't hesitate,
Send 'em off before it's too late.
Be the first one on your block
To have your kid come home in a box.

And it's one, two, three
What are we fighting for?
Not freedom or our fellow man,
Next stop's Afghanistan.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no need to wonder why,
For peak oil, we're all gonna die.

Salem-News.com Top Stories

No One Owns the Future

The Ugly Origins of Trump's America First Policy

A One-State Solution Could Transform the World

rewilding LA: Matilija Dam History and Ecosystems

One Killed and Two Injured in Shooting Near South Salem High School

Comments Leave a comment on this story.

All comments and messages are approved by people and self promotional links or unacceptable comments are denied.

TaxiBob July 21, 2010 12:36 pm (Pacific time)

The US soldiers, sailors and marines DID NOT lose the Vietnam War, the politicians did. By the way, Vietnam, like Korea, is officially a 'conflict'. If 58,000 Americans die, its a f*ckin war.

Tim King: Not trying to get under your skin Bob, and please don't spell out the 'f' word, because I have to turn around and fix it. Yes, Vietnam was a war, technically it wasn't, yet we both know that is ridiculous. No, the people on the ground did not lose the war, in fact I'm sure you are familiar with the fact that Uncle Ho was almost on his knees twice and a different approach would have changed everything. For those who don't know, that is approximately how many Americans died in WWI also in combat; influenza killed that many again in the First World War.

G 2/3; December 3, 2009 9:07 am (Pacific time)

Zinger Sgt.King,and don't go back there!

Brian December 2, 2009 11:37 am (Pacific time)

We did not start putting in regular combat units in Vietnam until May, 1965. We pulled out all combat units and ceased all regular military operations there in 1973. We essentially ran 8 years of combat infantry operations in a war that was essentially won 5 years earlier after the 1968 TET offensive. Politicans and media personalities turned that victory into a "turn-about" for the North Vietnamese. It looks as though the same thing is once again happening in Afghanistan. My constant prayers go to all involved and my hope is that we start fighting this war, as all wars should be fought. If one is not prepared to go 100%, then don't pursue any conflicts now or in the future.

Tim King: Brian, thanks for writing. Americans were in VN long before '64 or '65 in the advisor role and in fact I have read before that the first Americans to die there in the 50's were CIA agents who crashed a jet black B-17 that was converted for their work. I recently heard from a Marine who helped evacuate the Saigon Embassy in April 1975 and in his view, and all of the Marines who held on until the end, the hostilities were only officially ceased in 1973. As far as Afghanistan goes, it doesn't seem like there are any hard and sure answers. It is a tough place and it is very cold. Local knowledge has a lot of value and it isn't ours. But in your view it is all the media's fault and to that I disagree. Cronkite is who issued the statement after TET, and it was a poorly run war and just because he uttered a few words about it does not mean we lost the war over it. People were overwhelmingly against the war if you recall. Most aren't for this either, but since when does the average American's opinion mean anything?

[Return to Top]